Value to Hebrides

Badly Needed , Says RC

Tuna Fishery of Value to Hebrides

I>EFORE Brigadier H. Flax ** man, British Resident Com missioner in the New Hebrides, returned to Vila in May, he had something to say about the pro

posed Japanese tuna industry in

Santo.

Brigadier Flaxman had spent a period in a Sydney hospital. When he became ill a couple of months ago, he was flown to Suva by a RNZAF flying-boat, and later went on to Sydney by regular air line.

He said that he felt that PIM was sometimes unduly gloomy in its presentation of the situation as it exists for the British half of the Condominium. What may have been true yesterday was not always true today.

On the question of Australian Commonwealth-owned land, he had some hopeful comment. If there had been suggestions that there was deliberate obstruction to the sitting of tha Joint Court they were incorrect. It was true that when the French judge had been available, the British judge had not, and vice versa, but this situa tion was purely coincidental.

There had been great difficulty in obtaining the services of a British judge. However, title settlement work should now proceed as arrangements had been made for the services of a British judge.

Speaking of the planned tuna fiishing industry to be based on Santo, the Resident Commissioner said that the New Hebrides badly needed diversification of Industries.

This could be one valuable con tribution to that objective.

He did not think that there was much opposition to the employment of Japanese under contract in this industry. It had been proved that the industry could not be otherwise based at the present time. Any suggestions that the fishing com pany might be allowed to carry on other trade with Japan were based on wrong information. (See Letter to the Editor, page 70, this issue).

New Commissioner

Appointed

Due to ill health, Brigadier Flaxman is expected to leave the Hebrides on retirement in June.

He will be succeeded as British Resident Commissioner by Mr. J.

S. Rennie, OBE, lately stationed at Mauritius.

Mr. Rennie was expected in Sydney from Mauritius in the latter part of June.